9 Systems administration
This chapter covers
- Using AI tools in systems administration
- Applying ChatGPT in change requests, Linux distributions, file renaming, and log analysis
- Auditing configuration files for compliance and optimization
- Exploring existing AI applications in systems engineering
- Simplifying complex systems administration tasks
A systems administrator manages servers on a network. They back up and protect data, fix application and service problems, and handle user accounts. They work with Linux and Windows systems and use tools like System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) to manage large deployments.
From our experience managing systems, we know the work can get tedious. There are lots of detailed troubleshooting, complex configurations, and tasks that need to be done over and over. But we’ve seen how AI can make many of these tasks easier. In this chapter, we’ll show you how we used AI to create change requests, work with Linux, rename files, analyze logs, check systems for compliance, and automate workflows.
Looking at our own work and our coworkers' experience with ChatGPT, here are some common prompts we’ve used to get AI help (much like our old Google searches):
- Get the SHA of Docker Image
- Create beautiful role-based access control in Active Directory
- Help me create netApp Config Docs
- How do I find the install date on Linux
- Help me figure out why this SharePoint upgrade failed
- How do I restart sound in Fedora?